Cross River State Governor, Ben Ayade, presented 54 Sports Utility Vehicles (SUV) to local government chairmen and their deputies. The vehicles were given to 18 local government councils in the state.
The 54 Sport Utility Vehicles comprises of : 18 Ford Edge to the Local Government Chairmen, 18 Ford Escape to the Vice Chairmen and 18 Ford Ecosport to the leaders of Council.
The deputy governor of Cross River State, Prof. Ivara Esu who represented the governor, charged the officials to make effective use of the vehicles. He said this during the presentation ceremony held at the Governor’s office in Diamond Hill, Calabar.
“It is not about giving cars; what is happening is important at the time we are now . With zero allocation, COVID – 19 and the economic crisis , if we were to rely on federal allocation, even salaries will not be paid. The governor is prudent in managing our resources. If this was not the case , the cars will not be provided. ”
The deputy governor further stated that;
“The cars are not free gifts , they were purchased through the JAAC Accounts and going by the NFIU regulations , they were procured by the chairmen themselves and the funds came through their individual local government accounts. The governor kept funds for them even before they came in and that is why we have been able to purchase the cars. It is their entitlement because it has always been a practice that the chairmen of council , considering the exigencies of their office, deserve mobility.”
Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, the Chairman of Akpabuyo council, Emmanuel Offiong Bassey, commended the state government for meeting the mobility needs of council chairmen. He pledge that the vehicles would be used for the purposes for which they were bought.
